on our broadcast tonight, the growing scandal, after the stunning fall of general petraeus, another four-star general is under investigation for e-mail traffic. also, the woman who has moved to the center of this story who called the fbi to investigate her e-mail traffic and started this investigation, now tangled up in politics and secrets and intrigue. power struggle. more than two weeks after sandy. people still in the dark. fed up and fighting back. and a whole new movement comes to the rescue. plus, could the new black friday be thanksgiving day? the retailers have announced they're starting the christmas shopping season as early as turkey day this year. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening, a growing scandal that has already resulted in the resignation of the cia director has tonight already grown so vast and so complicated, it deserves diagramming as we begin tonight's coverage of it. this begins with retired four-star u.s. army general david petraeus. easily the most celebrated, best known general of the modern era. he resigned on friday, admitting to an affair. he was immediately linked to paula broadwell, like petraeus, she went to west point, an academic who wrote a biography of petraeus. we know about the affair because of jill kelley, she alerted the fbi, said she was getting anonymous harassing e-mails, turns out they were from

broadwell. kelley dealt with a lot of generals both in the military and socially in tampa. overnight we learned another four-star general is involved. our current commander in afghanistan, he took over when petraeus left, john allen. now being investigated for what officials describe as potentially inappropriate e-mails with jill kelley of tampa. both of them deny any untoward relationship. they're reviewing the conduct of the first agent who reviewed jill kelley's e-mails in the first place, because he allegedly sent shirtless photos to jill kelley. in plain english, this is a mess. with hearings to come, this can only get larger from here. we begin our reporting of the story tonight with andrea mitchell in the d.c. newsroom. >> tonight the white house is expressing strong support for

general john allen. the top commander in afghanistan, who has strongly denied any wrongdoing. after becoming entangled in the investigation that derailed the career of david petraeus. suddenly, last night, the scandal involving two very different women, jill kelley and paula broadwell ensnared not only petraeus, but his successor. john allen who took over for petraeus in afghanistan. >> for all that you have done for me and our -- >> reporter: the general is married with a sterling record. on a flight to australia monday night, aids to leon panetta exposed a dramatic turn in the petraeus case. they uncovered what the pentagon called potentially inappropriate communications between the general and jill kelley who he

and his wife got to know in tampa, and were reviewing between 20 and 30,000 pages of documents, including e-mails over two years. officials say some were flirtatious. the general strongly denies an improper relationship. the fbi discovered the e-mails during its investigation of kelley's e-mails. sparked by her complaints about anonymous threats which turned out to be from paula broadwell. they found no wrongdoing by general allen, but turned the files over to the pentagon. at the same hour, fbi agents were sweeping through paula bro broadwell's north carolina home, carrying out bags and boxes of the materials. she consented to the search to make sure they did not overlook any documents before hearings on the issue. >> i think it's important, when you're director of the cia, with all the challenges involved in

that position, that personal integrity comes first and foremost. >> reporter: the president first learned there could be a problem with allen's nomination to nato last friday. >> the president has put on hold, general allen's nomination as supreme allied commander europe pending the investigation of general allen's conduct by the department of defense, i.g. >> reporter: a social link between the two four-star generals and jill kelley, who enjoyed socializing with the powerful in tampa, while doing volunteer work for military families. she also gave people the impression she had some kind of state department status, which officials say she does not. last week she called police, complaining about media visitors, including nbc. at one point invoking diplomatic council. >> i don't know if you want to get diplomatic, protection of office as well.

>> kelley's friendship with both generals had benefits. petraeus and allen wrote letters to the court in her twin sister's child custody case. the agents who helped launch the investigation, eventually forced petraeus to resign. he's the subject of an ethics inquiry. after the fbi found he sent kelly pictures with his shirt off. months before the fbi was brought on to the case. the white house is backing general allen, officials say his nomination to nato could be derailed, if hen cat get past the controversy of being swept up in the scandal. >> andrea mitchell starting us off from washington tonight. jill kelley's name has come up in connection with two of this nation's top commanders. more on her story tonight from kristen welker. >> how are you doing? >> jill kelley was well known in social circles around tampa,

long before she became fodder for the tabloids in new york. she and her husband threw lavish parties at their bayshore home. black tie, top notch catering, a couple about town. >> jill is always smiling, vivacious. >> reporter: aaron publishes tampa bay magazine, that had the kelley's frequenting the pages. >> there was always a bevy of people surrounding them. it seemed like no matter where they went, people enjoyed talking to them, being with them. >> reporter: and they were often seen hobnobbing with top military brass, including david petraeus, connections jill kelley made while volunteering to organize social events at macdill air force base. jill kelley's brother is rushing

to his sister's defense. this after federal authorities announced they're investigating thousands of e-mails between kelley and john allen, he says they're only friends. >> what i do know, is that my sister didn't do anything wrong, and i know that from talking to her. and i know she's a victim. and i don't know what else to tell you. >> reporter: the kelleys have asked for privacy and have not returned our calls. kristen welker, nbc news, washington. let's talk about the fallout thus far from all of this. we're joined from washington with chuck todd and retired army colonel and recipient of the medal of honor, jack jacobs. let's talk about generals beginning with petraeus, americans could name a handful of generals with the exception of curtis lemay and your commander in vietnam westmoreland since then. tell me about the impact on the

military, any fault the military may have in the system? >> well, we have a large number of general officers, admirals, flag officers, lots and lots of them. as a result, somebody like petraeus who is skilled shines above all others. but in order to have lots and lots of generals, the law of large numbers says that some of them are not going to be good, and the supervision of their rise and their nomination is not always the best. it's easy to take your eyes off the bubble, and as a result, you have a circumstance like this, it's very troubling, although i have to say that the rank and file of the military is strongly in favor of good people continuing to command no matter what the results of an investigation like this. >> chuck todd over to you, and politics, and what may be unanswerable in terms of the time line in a hypothetical. what if this had come out during the election campaign? >> it's something that the

political team here at the wte house is glad they didn't have to test that hypothetical. i can tell you for now, they feel as if the political fallout is a distraction. president has a press conference tomorrow. the first one since winning re-election. it's going to be dominated by the petraeus scandal, by the fact that there seems to be a lot of unanswered questions. what took the fbi so long in notifying the white house, things like that. the president would rather be focused on the fiscal cliff negotiations. what are we going to do by the end of the year. the deadlines don't go away. but politically, they believe they're insulated here, because petraeus isn't considered an obama guy. if anything, he's more of a republican guy at the end of the day. >> thank you both. to chuck's point, this as a distraction overshadowing what would otherwise be the big story in washington right now. congress returning to town, getting back to work to the business of pulling back from the so-called fiscal cliff. kelly o'donnell covers the hill

for us. she's there tonight. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. already a full plate for congress. this petraeus controversy has grabbed attention, with members of both parties dismissed and frustrated especially about the investigation that left them in the dark. today the acting cia director was here to talk in private with key leaders. many lawmakers say petraeus owes them answers about what happened in the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi despite his resignation. he was set to testify this week and was replaced after the scandal broke. many lawmakers don't want to let him off the hook. this is all happening as newly elected members of the house and senate are here for orientation. they're here for photo ops and get to know you events. the newly electeds take the oath in january. >> busy day on the hill, kelly o'donnell. now back to the story we've been covering for 15 days now,

since hurricane sandy came on shore. and still tonight, upwards of 40,000 power customers in new york and new jersey are heading into another cold, dark night with no power. some of them still learning how much longer recovery is going to take. our report from anne thompson. >> reporter: standing in line is now a way of life in so many places sandy hit. >> we have animal crackers at the end for you. a cold gray drizzle is no match for the need for coats. >> many residents still don't have electricity or heat, so a coat is even more critical than ever before. >> reporter: al and diane rivera got what's left of their staten island home. >> in six minutes our home was gone. >> reporter: everything they had is gone. >> you can look at it on tv and never get the full effect of it,

until it's you, until it happens to you. >> reporter: the utility is now the target of a class action suit. >> our lawsuit is brought in large part to demand accountability. >> reporter: even those whose job it is to heal need help. new york city will spend $4 billion to repair four hospitals and the schools damaged by the storm. today the city opened one stop recovery centers where victims can do everything from applying for aide to getting medical attention. >> many customers have been without power for a long time. rather than complain about it or write about it, we're trying to do something about it. >> reporter: the brooklyn battery tunnel is swamped with sea water finally reopened this afternoon. like the city itself, this 80 foot tall norway spruce, destined to dazzle millions at rockefeller center is a victim

of sandy. in new jersey tonight, 5,000 customers remain without power. today that state ended its gas rationing program. here in staten island and throughout new york city. gas rationing remains in effect because only 60% of the city's gas stations are open. >> anne thompson on staten island. one of the places where the suffering continues. still ahead for us tonight, who has the energy to shop on thanksgiving night after turkey? well, retailers are betting enough highly motivated shoppers will make the trip to make it worth their while. and later a surprising group of helpers on a new mission where help is really needed as we just saw. and they're making a difference 37 into their work,

their name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support. a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small. is the same frequent heartburn treatment as prilosec otc. now with a fancy coating that gives you a burst of wildberry flavor. now why make a flavored heartburn pill? because this is america. and we don't just make things you want, we make things you didn't even know you wanted.

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the big shopping day after thanksgiving. by moving it to thanksgiving. and it's not going over all together well. our report tonight from cnbc's courtney reagan. >> reporter: with holiday windows already up at macy's on state street in chicago, it should come as no surprise that thanksgiving this year will look more like this than this. as retailers begin a new holiday tradition. >> shopping early isn't for everyone. but a lot of customers have asked for that option. that convenience. >> reporter: in order to give the customer what they want and get first crack at limited budgets. walmart, sears, kmart and toys "r" us plan to open at 10:00 on thanksgiving day, some at 9:00. >> nothing wrong with sneaking out to do a little shopping and get it done and over with. >> reporter: not everyone is in

a rush to stop stuffing themselves with turkey and start stuffing stockings. >> there's plenty of time to get all the presents purchased between thanksgiving and christmas. >> this year the race is on to get people to shop, not only early but often. >> whether it's a door buster at the beginning of the morning are o the end of the day. they want to keep the consumers in the stores shopping, so they can gain market share. >> many workers will be happy to pick up overtime on thanksgiving, some target employees have started an online petition to save thanksgiving. >> what will this do to your thanksgiving? >> stacy st. claire -- >> if all the companies do it on friday, i don't think it's something that would hurt them. >> reporter: more and more stores will be open for business. courtney reagan, cnbc, new york. when we come back tonight, a

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for our viewers in australia, it was spectacular. the rest of us have to watch the total ellipse of the sun on tv and the internet. the next one visible for us here in north america will be august 21st of 2017. we'll remind you. motor trend has named its car of the year, made a big splash. perhaps because the car doesn't make much noise or use any gasoline. it's the tesla, battery powered, all electric. unlike a lot of previous electric cars, the tesla goes like a rocket, 0 to 60 in four seconds and change. much more like a porsche than a prius. they are pricy, starting at just

under 60 grand. they're not for everybody, but motor trend is clearly for the tesla. there's a story out tonight about our kids and school. most schools require phys ed through high school still. the bad news in terms of overall health, most states don't specify or require a specific amount of time for it. nearly half of them allow kids to get out of p.e. for various reasons, including all kinds of other school activities. no more calls please, we have a winner. the san diego zoo most popular baby has a new name. 15-week-old male giant panda cub will be known as little gift. chinese tradition dictates panda cubs are named 100 days after they're born. the name was chosen by popular vote on the zoo's website beating out miracle, raindrop and water dragon.

up next here this evening, from protesting to picking up the pieces. the determined group of volunteers stepping up to make a difference. ident... i was worried the health care system spoke a language all its own with unitedhealthcare, i got help that fit my life. information on my phone. connection to doctors who get where i'm from. and tools to estimate what my care may cost. so i never missed a beat. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson? the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for. in stuffing and more, the secret is swanson. that was me... the day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used.

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covered by 90% of insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. some people put everything intotheir name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support. a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small. we all remember the occupy

wall street movement. we covered them here a lot. just about everybody formed their own opinion about the protesters and their cause. whatever you think about their agenda and them. they've reformed now, into occupy sandy. they're redirecting their energy into helping hurricane victims from the jersey shore to long island sound. katy tur has our making a difference report. >> there are no official badges. all they have for identification is a first name scab belled on masking tape. they may not have a legal charity status, but that's not stopping them. >> they desperately need our help, they lost everything. >> reporter: remember the occupy wall street movement famous for taking over zuccotti park and coining the term 1%? now they have occupy sandy. within days after sandy hit, occupy went to work. fema temporarily shut its doors during last week's nor'easter

due to bad weather, occupy never did. sasha brown is one of the people who helps pack up supplies and deliver them to people in need. >> i'm just a new yorker helping t other new yorkers. >> reporter: he borrowed the van and showed up here. >> who's paying for the gas? >> i am. the band is, they don't know it yet, but they are donating it. >> reporter: occupy has set up a hyperorganized system with a command center, a medic dispatch and car dispatch to organize drivers. there's a phone bank, kitchens that supply two hot meals a day and no shortage of helpers. they use ups to deliver supplies that have been carefully picked out. >> wonderful, thank you. >> reporter: with $400,000 in the bank and next to no overhead, all the money can go straight to relief efforts.

every little bit helps. >> they're trying to help people to survive. >> reporter: no bureaucracy, and the occupy volunteers say that means no problem. katy tur, nbc news, new york. that's our tuesday broadcast. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.